The Portland daily press., 1887-05-12
EDITOR o'BRIEN
Meets with a Grand Ovation in Mon
treal,
He Describes the Incidents Attending
Some of the Evictions.
Fears that the orangemen win Make
Trouble at Toronto.

MONTREAL, May 11.-EditOr OBrien, of
the United Ireland, spoke to an enthusiastic
audience of over 1000 people in Albert Hall
this evening. The meeting was in charge of
the local branch Of the Irish National
League. Many French Canadians attended.
The name of Lord Lansdowne was hissed
made in or out of the hall against the
premier. Mr.. O'Brien said he had come to
Canada because the homes Of the poor people
OF Luggacurran, far away in Ireland, are de-
solate tonight, and because the man who
is responsible for it is here in the highest
post of honor in this great, free land. If
we came to Canada to ask you to be friend
70 us and save our people. it is because this
Is not the first time Canada has stood be-
tween the Irish people and their oppressors.
lt is not the first time you have stretched
out the broad shield of your generous sym-
patny 10 stay the march of hunger and mis-
government in Ireland. Mr.. Parnell has
said he will never again beg the world for
aims for the Irish landlordism. We are now
begging, not for aims, but to enable us to mn
root the whole system of irish landlordism.
we 90 not come to ask you for 10000 for
charlty any more, but ask you to consider
what Lord Lansdowne is making of go. 900
a year which you give him, or which you en-
able him to get; and if that be put to a bad
and lnhuman use we ask you to convey your
censure OF Lord Lansdowne, as you have a
perfect right to do. LansdOwne is LAYING
waste to an entire stretch of country miles
long, as completely as if an angel of death
knocked at every cabin door in these val
leys, and devoted every man, woman and
child to destruction. As soon as he will
nave obtained his next batch OF ejectment
decrees he will have made a clean sweep OF
the property, and, except Lord Lansdowne's
Dallitfs and creatures, the whole population
viii have been Danish, and their homes will
know them no more.
O'Brlen described the incidents attending
some of the evictions as follows: "An in
hrm old woman. aged so and odd years,
whose tottering steps had to be guided out of
the little homestead, was put out in a pitiless
storm OF hail and snow. The cold March
blast blew around them. The poor creatures
cried bitterly. The old Inan, over so wears
OF age, was told to clear out. A delicate
mother, with babe only fortnight old
clasped in her arms, stood shivering outside.
,,. While the emergency men" pitched out her
little belongings. The emergency men,
were there with sledge hammers. crowbars.
ladders, saws and hatchets to pull down the
house and smash the furniture of the miser-
able thatched cottage, into which the rain
poured through the roof, occupied by ten
ant named Henry Mulhall, which was en-
tered by sheriff. On a chair near the fire
was poor old woman, who did not seem to
realize that she was going to be put out of
the house which had sheltered her from
childhood She was put out ON the roadside
in pitiless storm. These are few tyDical
cases Of hundreds of evictions that have
been going on at Lansdowne's Queens coun-
ty estates. When the dispute arose. the
tenants owed only half a years rent after
all the frightful losses of the past seven
years. One years rent should be due before
evletlons can take place, and unworthy at
tempts have been made to make the Cana
dian people understand that one years rent
was due. The second half years
rent said to be due, but which was
not, was mere lawyers myth, a
legal hctlon known as 'the banging gate"
We Luggacurran tenants were honest.
peaceful, and lnofensive so far as crime was
concerned. The locality Is simply stainless.
During these barbarous evctions not a blow
was struck, nor stone flung, and what
have these people ever done that thev should
deserve to be robbed of home and land?
They simply sought an abatement in rents
aOatementS less than Earl CoWper's royal
commission, a landlords commission APP
pointed by, Tory government declared to
De equitable; less even than the land COM
mission courts are granting on neighboring
estates-and, finally, reductions TO which
Lord Lans1owne's own arbitrator, Mr..
black and white.
appeal to the people of Canada against
Landsdowne and the savage sentence
against the whole peaceable population
Substantially the Canadian flag float
ed over the evicting army, and
1t was Canadian money that hired 'emer-
gency men" to do their dreadful work. |
call upon you to free the Canadian name
from this, and let Lansdowne and the world
know that when Canada stretched out her
arm to Ireland it was not to wound or sub
Jugate her, but to save her."
Tremendous cheering followed the close OF
the speech: O'Brien will speak in Quebec
May 18th. in Kingston the 10th, Toronto the
18th, Ottawa the 18th.
Lansdowne is in Toronto today, where he
IS being feted and welcomed. Many persons
here. express the opinion that when 0'Brien
reaches there. and again at Kingston, the
Orangemen will try to raise disturbances.
TORONTO, May 1.-THE Orangemen are
greatly excited over O'Brien's proposed visit
to this city. Yesterday deputation of the
Loyal and Patriotic Union, headed by Presi-
dent Goodwin Smith, waited upon Mayor
Rowland with request to call a mass meet
ing OF citizens to discuss the O'Brien visit.
The mayor said he would do so and promised
to preside at the meeting. He deprecated
the OBrien agitation, but his confidence i'm
the good sense of the citizens prevented his
expecting any collision over the visit.